Best on Broadway

College of Fine Arts alumna Laurie Metcalf ’76 had a repeat performance at the 2018 Tony Awards. She was named best featured actress in a play for her portrayal of character “B” in Three Tall Women. Metcalf won the leading actress Tony category in 2017 as Nora in A Doll’s House, Part 2. She has captured accolades across mediums in recent months, with an Oscar nomination for best performance actress in a supporting role in the 2017 film Lady Bird. She also appeared as Jackie in the revival of the Roseanne sitcom that aired on ABC through much of this year.

Ruling the court

Basketball fans who know the name Keita Bates-Diop may not realize the 2018 NBA pick and Ohio State standout is a University High School alum. He graduated in 2014 from U-High, which is part of ISU’s Laboratory Schools. Heavily recruited after his success as a Pioneer, Bates-Diop worked to overcome injuries during his collegiate years at Ohio. He was named the 2017-2018 Big Ten Player of the Year, was a semifinalist for the Naismith Player of the Year honor, and a top-five finalist for the 2017-2018 Julius Erving Award. He begins his NBA career with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Movie magician

Much of what makes a film fantastic is the visual wizardry. Doug Spilatro ’79 has the talent to make Hollywood movies magical as the vice president of special effects for Technicolor. The former TV-10 student takes a screenwriter’s or director’s vision and then figures out how to make it real on set and in post-production. Spilatro can remove wires from a stunt scene, or add to an action film stunt scene blood splatter and gunfire. Among his credits are Black Panther, Doctor Strange, The Revenant, and Bridge of Spies. Avengers: Infinity War was released in May of this year.

Single sensation

Competition is nothing new for Colton Underwood ’17, who played Redbird football from 2010 through the 2013 season. He faced a different kind of opponent during the recently concluded season of The Bachelorette, where Underwood went up against 27 men to win the heart of Becca Kufrin. Underwood, 26, made it to the show’s final four. This was not his first time in the spotlight, as Underwood is a tight end who has been signed for the practice squad by three NFL teams since leaving ISU. Currently a free agent.